


she just needed some attention (he had no time for affection)

by girl8of0many8fandoms



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Canon Compliant, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:48:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27635681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girl8of0many8fandoms/pseuds/girl8of0many8fandoms
Summary: The universe had screwed over both Skye and Ward enough without giving them one name for both wrists.Soulmate AU where you have your soulmate's name on one wrist and your mortal enemy's on the other. You have the same name on both wrists.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Grant Ward
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	she just needed some attention (he had no time for affection)

**Author's Note:**

> tw for canon r*pey remark from Ward

Grant Ward. The person who would both be her soulmate and her mortal enemy. Skye curled up in her van, staring at her wrists. She was fairly sure the universe hated her.

Daisy Johnson. Grant tugged at his sleeves, attempting to cover up the fact that he'd been staring at the name for hours. Garrett wouldn't like that. Garrett himself had fixed his soulmate problem a long time ago. A soulmate was a weakness, he had said. Ward couldn't help but wonder what had happened.

When Skye is kidnapped out of her van, she doesn't think anything of it. They're just the evil, faceless government toolbags she hated. She didn't expect one of those toolbags to possibly be her soulmate. Granted, she only knew the last name, "Ward," and that was a fairly common last name. With her luck, her soulmate's probably him. _Ugh_. 

"Skye" annoyed him. She was cocky and foolish, replying to their questions as if she knew everything. She was naive, and Ward had no time for naive. He didn't know what it was exactly, but something about her set him on edge. Maybe it was the fact that she could easily hack the system and find out everything about him, or about the way she oh-so-subtly flinched when Coulson said his name. 

And now she was being brought onto the team. Skye and Ward would have to tolerate each other for the team to have any hope. 

It hurt to talk to Ward when she knew. She knew he was the person who she was supposed to fall in love with (and hate, but there was nothing about him that was hate-worthy _yet_ ). She knew, and somehow he didn't. Skye had never heard of having a soulmate who was soulmates with another person, but she guessed the universe made an exception for her. Of course it did.

Skye confused Ward. Turns out that was her real name, although Ward was still suspicious. She was hiding something, he knew it. Between her stilted conversations, forced smiles, and fidgeting, she was hiding something _big_. And Ward was determined to find out what it was.

When Skye realized Miles was behind the enhanced's kidnapping, she wished she could jump out of the plane (and survive, preferably). She had to get to him before SHIELD did. But...the SHIELD wasn't so bad. At least, they weren't as bad as how Miles described them. _Miles_. He had taught her almost everything she knew about CS. He was the person who got her into the Rising Tide. He is the reason she had even a small chance to find her parents. Skye silently apologized to the team (and her soulmate) as she whipped out her phone and texted Miles.

Ward was right, and he hated it. Skye _was_ hiding something, and it was her secret boyfriend who also worked for the Rising Tide. She was a double agent (which was ironic, considering Ward was one too. He really shouldn't feel so betrayed, but he did, for some reason.) He thought back to all the times he had interacted with Skye; training her, playing Battleship with her, talking with her. He wondered how many of those times were fake, her just collecting intel to go behind their backs, and then he realized he was being a hypocrite.

Skye tried everything she could to get his forgiveness back. She apologized, didn't whine during training, and talked less. The rest of the team had already forgiven her (May being the exception, but that's just May) but she needed her soulmate/mortal enemy's approval. Did she really, though? Ward was her mortal enemy. But also her soulmate...this was confusing. Skye wished, like she had wished many times before, that she was normal.

Ward forgave Skye. Really, he did. Turns out she wasn't being a double agent, she was just looking for her parents. Logically, she went behind their backs to find Miles and talk to him, because he was her friend (boyfriend, a voice in his mind whispered) and he had helped her look for her parents. Ward didn't think about how she slept with Miles before getting caught, didn't think about how that bothered him to no end, didn't think about why he was so irrationally filled with hate towards Skye, because if he did think about it he'd have to think about feelings. Particularly, his feelings.

It didn't take long for Ward to forgive Skye, to be honest. Just took him jumping out of a plane to save Simmons, which totally did not send Skye into a crazy loop wondering whether Simmons was his soulmate, if she was being crazy, if she was being insensitive, if Simmons was going to be ok (and she was! She was, thank God), and finally, if she was going to die alone. Well, that she wasn't wondering about - she was sure.

Ward was...strangely sad that nobody suspected that he was HYDRA. Deep cover tactics 101 - perform selfless acts of bravery early on. And it worked. A few weeks ago, he would have been overjoyed that his cover was cemented, but now? Ward was confused. What could have changed in the few weeks that would make him doubt himself?

"GRANT!" Skye had shouted. The names on her wrist burned, even now, hours later. She had said "Grant" countless times, mouthing it out at the orphanage, whispering it in her van, shouting it when she was sure no one could hear. Every single time, it had tasted strange on her tongue. Now that she had finally met her soulmate/mortal enemy, the name "Grant" felt...right. 

"GRANT!" Skye had shouted. It had cleared the cries of his brother in his head for just a second while he was holding the Berserker staff. Why? Why did Skye shouting his first name have such an effect on him? She truly was the unknown variable. Was it possible for her to be...? No. It wasn't. He knew his soulmate/mortal enemy and she could not be the same person. Ward scratched his arms, forcing himself to look straight ahead, but he couldn't resist. And so, for the first time in a long, long time, Ward looked at his wrists to read the name _Daisy Johnson_.

Then. _Then_. A lot of stuff happened. Skye got shot, for instance. She lay on the floor, futilely attempting to staunch the bleeding. She reached for her wrists, scratching the names in an attempt to communicate with Ward, her soulmate, her mortal enemy. She wished she told him as Skye closed her eyes and fell unconscious. 

Ward felt his stomach drop as he saw Skye bleeding out. He sat in the hospital waiting room, tersely anticipating the return of the doctor. She came and he stood up. She and Coulson talked, the words going in one ear and out the other. The next part caught his attention though: "I'm saying you need to call her family and get them here as soon as possible." A beat as the team absorbed the information and the fact that one of their members was going to die. "We're her family," Coulson said, and Ward couldn't agree more. The doctor seemed troubled. "In that case I'm very sorry." She turned to leave, but thought better of it. "I'd also advise you find her soulmate, and apparently, mortal enemy. Their name is Grant Ward." _What_?

Ward had been treating Skye differently lately. He'd been kinder, softer, even smiling at her while she lay in the hospital bed. Normally, she would chalk it up to the fact that she almost died, but then she caught him fidgeting with his wrists several times. So tin-man finally knew. She was so screwed.

Ward irrationally hated Daisy Johnson. He knew it wasn't fair, that Daisy didn't choose to have him as her soulmate/mortal enemy, but he still wished it was Skye instead. He couldn't imagine how she felt, tiptoeing around him for months, knowing who he was to her. Ward had never heard of an unrequited soulmate. Leave it to Skye to be the anomaly. He smiled slightly, then shook himself. He had been smiling more and more lately, definitely a result of Skye. Her happiness was infectious. Ward had to be careful, any more time around his rookie and he'd slip up and reveal himself.

Ward shot Nash. Skye was still shaken up by what Coulson had told her. He _killed_ someone. For her. She didn't know how to feel. 

Ward shot Nash. It was a spur-of-the-moment action, impulsive. "Impulsive" wasn't a word to describe Ward. He wasn't exactly sure what happened. Nash was droning on, the computer putting words in his mouth, and for a moment Ward felt white-hot anger rush through his veins and he lifted his gun. The "Clairvoyant" was dead. Garrett's cover was airtight. Ward had gone against orders. 

HYDRA rose, and Skye kissed Ward. She knew it was impulsive and foolish, since he had a soulmate/mortal enemy waiting for him. But she couldn't help it. She allowed herself to be selfish, allowed herself to imagine a spark during the kiss. Maybe this would work. (Oh, how wrong she was).

HYDRA rose, and Ward kissed Skye. Well, technically Skye kissed him, and Ward had to remind himself to kiss her back. He ignored the dread pooling in his gut. He ignored his brother in the well, always in the back of his mind. He ignored the stomps of the soldiers outside, soon to be more blood on his hands. He ignored everything except Skye's lips on his, and it was bliss.

Garrett was caught. Skye still couldn't believe that _Garrett_ of all people was part of HYDRA. He had been so nice to her, talking to her about Ward and other things. Speaking of Ward, Skye couldn't imagine how he felt. His SO, the man he looked up to, was a Nazi. After he and Hand delivered Garrett to the Fridge, she was definitely going to talk to him.

Garrett was caught. Ward knew it was deliberate (he never would've made it so easy) but he couldn't figure out why. Why would he "slip" up and reveal himself? He glanced over at Skye. She would be able to figure it out. Again, though, why would...oh. 

Providence was a nice base, and Eric was a nice guy. Skye had called Ward, warning him about the inevitable identity erasure. She was honestly surprised that he wasn't more shocked, but maybe that's just a side-effect of the whole "robot" thing. Oh, she was going to have SO much fun with the nicknames once Ward came back.

Ward shot Hand. He had to, in order to get Garrett out. He wished he could say that he didn't think of Skye while doing it, but that would be a lie. Just another lie Ward could add to his pile, a pile that would grow bigger and bigger until it buried him so deep he couldn't breathe. Down, down, down, he fell deeper into the hole he dug himself into. Deeper into the lie that was Grant Ward. Skye could help him, though. She could pull him up, up, up until he could finally breathe and pretend that he was the person she thought he was. She could do that. She could save him.

Ward had come to Providence, injured but alive. _Alive_. Skye's soulmate/mortal enemy, the guy she kissed, was still alive. During these times, that was a lot to hope for. She wasn't sure whether it would be ok to kiss him again, but first she had to get through this lie detector. 

Skye was happy to see Ward. _Happy_. He wasn't sure how she could still feel that way after all that he'd done. He was a horrible, horrible person who didn't deserve someone as bright and vibrant and good as Skye. He couldn't let the blood that tainted his hands taint her too. He couldn't let her see the darkest parts of him. He couldn't, and yet he did.

_"Maybe we can get that drink"_

Skye sipped her glass, preparing herself for breaking the silence. Luckily, she didn't have to.

"Specialists don't spend time with a lot of people. And the ones we do, we're all cut from the same cloth." Ward said, sitting on the couch. The two sat a short distance apart from each other. Both wanted to sit closer, but neither wanted to get up. 

"Black Kevlar?" Skye couldn't help but make a wisecrack. Ward just barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes. 

"Trained to get the job done. Keep emotions in check. But you? you're different." Skye had been called different many times. She wasn't sure whether to be pleased or offended.

"Different bad?"

"Bad for me. I didn't want to think about you. I wanted to stay focused. But then I saw you, after you were shot, fighting to stay alive. But you're right. I'm Kevlar. You're not."

"You don't have to be. You don't have to shut people out." She meant it. She still knew so little about Grant Ward. _Please, let me in._

"Yeah, I do. There are things about me that you wouldn't like if you knew." He'd done some pretty crappy things in front of Skye, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. If she knew...

"You think I don't have skeletons?" They couldn't possibly be as bad as his.

"It's different. You're...good."

"So are you." Ward swallowed down the lump in his throat. He wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep up with this charade. 

"No. I lied to you. My older brother, he would beat up my younger brother. He was crueler than that. He made me do it. And I let him. I was afraid of him." Skye seethed. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Ward's older brother made him do.

"What about your parents?"

"They were worse." Crap. "I am not a good man, Skye." She finally stood up and went to sit next to Ward, grasping his hands.

"Yes, you are." She leaned in, but Ward jerked away. 

"Sorry, sorry, it's just," he said, trying not to make the situation worse. "there's one more thing I haven't told you." He rolled up his sleeves, displaying the names on his wrists. "I know you have my name on your wrists. But...I don't have yours." 

Skye recoiled, curling in on herself. She knew this was entirely possible, but it still hurt _so much_. Her eyes stung as she pulled down her sleeves. Ward grabbed her hands, trying to calm her down. 

"Please listen, Skye. I like you. You, not this Daisy Johnson. I don't know her, but I know you. I know you, and I want to be with you. I don't want to be your mortal enemy. I just want to be your soulmate," Ward told her, leaning forward, and with that they kissed for the second time. It went on for some time, until Skye felt the blood behind his ear. He rushed off to clean it, and Skye wandered the base.

She found Koenig's dead body in a closet.

***

Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA Ward was HYDRA _Ward was HYDRA_ \- Skye gasped, trying to keep her wits about her as she hid in the bathroom. Ward was HYDRA this whole time, what was she gonna do? Oh, what was she gonna do, she was the only one left at the base and May was gone, and- Oh god, he's looking for her what will she do with supplies from a bathroom he'll know he was in the closet because of the penny and- oh god. This was why he was her mortal enemy. This realization helped Skye force herself to stand, scrabbling for something to give the rest of the team a message.

Skye was acting...strange. She seemed quieter, withdrawn after their talk. It made sense, he supposed. He had told her things he hadn't told anyone else. Still, that wouldn't explain why she flinched when he grabbed her arm. She may have thought she disguised it, but Ward was trained to notice this. Skye couldn't be scared of him, could she? She couldn't...no. She can't know. The penny was still in the door. He's in too deep for everything to unravel on him now.

The hard drive. That's why Skye was still alive. He needed her for the hard drive. It was a good thing she'd encrypted it based on geography. She would need to stall for every second of time she could get.

The hard drive was geography-based. Great. Garrett would be so mad if Ward missed the deadline, but he couldn't push or she'd get suspicious. So he just focused on piloting. 

Skye blew her cover. It was completely on purpose, unlike some people. She alerted the local authority and ran away, only for Mike Peterson (was she supposed to call him Deathlok?) to land on the car and shatter the window. Now she was kidnapped on her own plane with her mortal enemy and a controlled cyborg. How was she supposed to get out of this?

Skye found out. This was exactly what Ward meant by how he was not a good man. There goes his chance to have a happy life with her.

Ward was dying, and Skye saved him. She knew, deep down, that she should've let him die, but she didn't. And now the next villainous thing he does is on her.

Ward was dying, and Skye saved him. That was enough for him to feel a little bit hopeful, that there was a small chance she didn't hate his guts.

Coulson saved Skye, and so both SHIELD and HYDRA are scrambling to win this war. Skye and Ward would meet again, but as mortal enemies. 

Skye had woken herself up thirty minutes earlier this morning for the sole purpose of crying her heart out. She stole some makeup from the Bus, using some concealer to cover up Ward's name on one wrist. Skye decided right then and there that Grant Ward was her mortal enemy, and no matter how hard he tried, she would keep it that way.

"Maybe I'll just take what I want, wake up something inside of you." Ward said, choosing not to think about the rapey overtones of that statement. He knew now they were mortal enemies, and he hoped Skye knew that he would never try anything like that.

Then? SHIELD defeats HYDRA. Good guys win, the light shines over the darkness, and Skye ignores the gaping hole in her chest. She didn't know what would happen to Ward. She tried to not care.

HYDRA lost, and Ward was taken into captivity. He would accept any punishment dealt out to him, he just wanted to see Skye one more time. 

Skye cried a lot. Fitz has brain damage, Coulson's carving weird signs, Jemma's gone, and Ward was still HYDRA (and locked in a vault. And her mortal enemy). On the upside, May was now her SO, and she was learning to be all hate-fu like her. 

Ward spent all of his time in Vault D. He knew he was only valuable because he had information, but he was still valuable. He did have leverage, which he was currently using to talk to Skye. Ward craved any type of interaction with her. She still hated him with a passion, but at least he could see her.

A lot of schist happens. Skye gets powers, meets her parents, and is now stuck with her psychopathic dad. They were visiting his old office, Cal trying his best to make it seem like a father-daughter date. So far, he hasn't gone all crazy and killed someone. The two stopped in front of a door reading _Calvin Johnson. Johnson_...Skye tentatively asked if that was his last name. It was. She lingered near the door after Cal moved on. Daisy Johnson. Crap. She was going to cry so much after this.

Daisy and Ward don't see each other for a long time until he comes back as Hive. By then, she had moved on, starting a relationship with one Lincoln Campbell. Daisy had decided that her love life would not be dictated by a name on her wrist. 

She and Ward were mortal enemies, and that was the end of it. 

**Author's Note:**

> word count: around 3400
> 
> validation is appreciated!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and have a great day!


End file.
